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Liberal shadow cabinet targets economic crisis

OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Stephane Dion announced a shadow
cabinet Friday featuring a strategy group to shape "constructive
opposition at a time of economic turmoil."

By The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)November 15, 2008

OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Stephane Dion announced a shadow cabinet Friday featuring a strategy group to shape "constructive opposition at a time of economic turmoil."

The leaders' advisory committee on economic strategy is headed by Toronto MP John McCallum, a former chief economist at the Royal Bank who is also advising Toronto MP Michael Ignatieff, one of three declared Liberal leadership candidates, on economic policy.

All three MPs ran for the leadership two years ago and all decided against running this time to replace Dion, who plans to step down in the wake of poor general election results when a successor is chosen at a Vancouver convention in May.

McCallum is one of two senior MPs who were prepared to serve as interim leader if Dion stepped down immediately after the election.

Dion said McCallum is to lead the economic team, assume responsibilities for strategy and messaging, and will serve as a key media spokesperson on economic policy issues.

The three MPs who have declared their candidacies for the leadership were not selected for shadow cabinet posts.

The deputy leader's position that Ignatieff held is abolished. Bob Rae's foreign affairs post goes to fellow Toronto MP Bryon Wilfert, who was associate foreign affairs critic in the last Parliament.

Former environment critic David McGuinty, an Ottawa MP, moves to international trade. He will tackle the new trade minister, Stockwell Day.

The appointment of newly elected Newfoundland MP Siobhan Coady to the fisheries and oceans portfolio creates a novel situation in which two women go toe-to-toe over fisheries policy in the House of Commons.